With computing power increasingly inexpensive, and the Android operating system coming of age through tablet computing, it's only logical that the next step in computing evolution would be a thin client Smart Display based on Android. ViewSonic's' VSD241 display brings a full-sized touch-screen monitor to life with Android.

The Hardware

The VSD421 sports a 24-inch screen TFT LCD display, with full HD 1920x1080 resolution. It's also a touch screen, with dual-point optical touch technology. So, just like your android tablet or phone, you can use two-finger actions to zoom your display, and do all the traditional actions you would on a typical Android tablet. The system is running Android version 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean).

The processor is an NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core with plenty of oomph for your favorite Android apps. And I'm not ashamed to admit that Angry Birds is pretty cool on a 24-inch display.

The system has an integrated two-megapixel webcam intended for videoconferencing; an HDMI port for video input to use the system as a monitor; two standard USB ports, a mini USB port, and a micro USB port; an SD card slot; an RJ45 jack for wired networking as well as WiFi and Bluetooth; and a headphone jack.

The system is supported by a pull-out stand attached to the back that provides a "leg" for the monitor to lean back against, and can be adjusted to a variety of angles.

When being used as a monitor for an external computer system, the touch-screen capabilities can be utilized by that external computer when you also connect the VSD241 to the computer through its mini-USB port. This presents the touch-screen as an interface device, and turns the host computer into a touch-screen system.

The system is designed to be a thin-client for running general Android apps, but can also work very well in a browser-hosted software environment for running business applications, or in using remote access apps to other computer systems.